Throw Me Something: Homeless veterans in New Orleans will get enhanced services because of grant

The needs of U.S. military veterans in our city will be better served by the Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans, thanks to a recent $100,000 grant from The Home Depot Foundation.

The grant is part of more than $1.75 million given to 10 VOA homeless veterans programs in eight states to refurbish or build 416 housing units for homeless veterans and their family members.

In New Orleans, the grant money will be used to replace the roof of the Volunteers of American single-room-occupancy facility on Canal Street in Mid City.

“Our long-standing relationship with The Home Depot has been vital to serving veterans and their families in our community,” said James LeBlanc, local VOA president and CEO. The grant money also will help provide job readiness and training programs for veterans, LeBlanc said.

The VOA is a national, nonprofit, faith-based organization that has been helping people in need since 1896, including veterans, seniors, people with disabilities and addictions, at-risk youth, former prisoners and people who are homeless.

“We’re proud to support the important work Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans is doing every day to help homeless and at-risk veterans,” Gaven Gregory, executive director of The Home Depot, said.

Home Depot Foundation is dedicated to improving housing for U.S. military veterans through financial and volunteer resources in cooperation with nonprofit organizations. The foundation has pledged $80 million to these efforts in the past five years and has invested more than $65 million since 2011 to ensure that every veteran has a safe place to call home.

The foundation has granted more than $380 million to nonprofit organizations since it was formed in 2002.

Through Team Depot, the company’s associate-led volunteer program, thousands of people have volunteered their time and skills to help veterans with housing needs.

Dolphin Radio birthday

Delgado Community College’s Dolphin Radio will celebrate its third birthday by seeking permission from the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast citywide.

The campus broadcaster, received on 98.9 MHz, barely can be heard beyond City Park Campus Student Life Center. With a new 100-watt transmitter, the college’s radio voice will reach most of the city. Broadcasts are available on the Internet at dolphinradio.org.

Delgado was one of seven community colleges nationwide to receive an FCC construction permit last fall. About 2,800 nonprofit groups, community organizations, and schools applied.

Bob Dunn, Delgado instructor in television production, radio, and mass communication, and Dolphin Radio’s faculty adviser, said the brief window of opportunity to file for a license was one not to be passed up.

“Now, we will have the potential for reaching a larger audience, and gain more community support and awareness,” Dunn said.

If everything goes as planned, Dolphin Radio will be heard on the FM radio waves by the fall 2014 semester on WXDR-LP 98.9 MHz, Dunn said.

In addition to music programmed by and for Delgado students, the station plans to broadcast play-by-play coverage of Dolphins’ baseball games, basketball games and campus events.